Everyone wants to look good!
And for most, this means having ‘the right’ weight. Unfortunately, some people naturally gain weight easily, so they reach for diets. Diets are meant to be good and helpful for our body, a way to restore its balance by controlling what we eat.
However, if done incorrectly, dieting is actually far more damaging for both our health and weight than it is helpful! What, then, are the ways most people slip into the pitfalls of dieting?
Well, find out through our guide the most common diet mistakes and how to avoid them!
1. Setting harsh and unrealistic Goals
The very first mistake people tend to make is when setting their diet goals.
They want their diet to show effect immediately, and so often either diet harshly or get frustrated and angry with both themselves and the diet they are on. Such emotions can lead to serious health issues if, looking for quick results, the dieter refuses to eat or tries something similarly dangerous.
On the other hand, they could also get discouraged and abandon their diet altogether. This is why you need to have a proper weight loss timeline! There exists a reasonable timeframe in which you can expect to see the effects of your diet, with the earliest and smallest results demanding at least a week. If you understand and keep this in mind, you will be able to relax and approach your diet in the way you are meant to: with patience and persistence.
2. Exercising too much
Similarly, some people think that the best way to aid your diet is to exercise as much as you can, as often as you can. Unfortunately, this simply isn’t true. Overstressing your body, especially if you haven’t exercised in a long time and are out of shape, can lead to the tearing of muscles, damage of joints, or even bone fractures.
This is especially the case for teenagers or young adults, who are still growing and require time for their bones to firm up from sudden growth spurts. One could easily end up with permanent spine damage, for example, from doing too much weight lifting exercises. The way to combat this is to approach exercising in moderation, preferably after consulting a professional coach or using a fitness app. They would be able to tell you exactly how far you can push yourself before it becomes damaging.
3. Refusing to eat certain foods
It has long been the case that dieters believe certain types of food are bad for both their health and weight. For example, some people refuse to eat potatoes entirely, thinking they are bad for you, even though potatoes can actually be beneficial for your health! Other examples of foods often avoided are bread, beans, dairy products, or even meat going vegan.
All of these foods contain something your body requires to function properly, and some are actually beneficial for losing weight. The best solution, in this case, is to always remember you need a balanced diet. Make sure to include different kinds of food and never exclude anyone type entirely since that might even make it more challenging to lose weight.
4. Blindly trusting in the latest popular Diet
Now, you might come across a ‘diet plan’ in a magazine or on the internet swearing that you will lose ridiculous amounts of weight in very little time, some going as far as to promise losing over 30 kilograms in under a week.
Such dieting plans are, more often than not, disastrous for your health, and will ask you to either skip most of your meals or limit yourself to only a single type of food. Since we have already discussed the dangers of doing so, it should be obvious that these diets do not have your wellbeing in mind! Even sugar, though it is harmful to your teeth, is necessary for your body to work right. Never trust a diet that a qualified nutritionist, preferably one you know and trust, has not endorsed! If you do not have your own nutritionist, you should book an appointment right now, since they are the best way to avoid being scammed by the latest fad and ruining your health.
5. Overindulging when the Diet is over
A common pitfall of dieting, especially when it comes to fad diets that ask you to eat ridiculously little food, are the cravings that hit you once you finally stop. Once they’ve hit their target weight under such circumstances, most people are relieved and think they can finally relax. In addition, because their body has literally been starved, it will rapidly draw on the food they are now stuffing themselves with to rebuild itself and, in preparation for potentially starving again, pack away a lot of extra fat to help get through it.
This is called yo-yo dieting, and while the yo-yo effect is a common problem that many people face, it is important to stop doing it. The best way to do so is to keep in mind that losing weight is a long-term project. You can’t just starve yourself and expect your new skinny look to stick around once you stop!
6. Becoming obsessed with losing Weight
Being overweight is, admittedly, not just bad for your self-esteem and physical appearance. It can also be a serious health risk, with increased chances of heart attacks and a whole host of other issues. However, becoming obsessed with losing weight can be just as disastrous.
Those who do encounter their issue slowly start to starve themselves because they no longer know what the ‘normal’ weight they should be is. They always feel like they are overweight, and therefore look for every possible way to lose more fat, even if they are, in fact, in perfect shape. The consequences of doing so are obvious, and malnutrition is not something to take lightly. If you don’t know what the right weight for your height and age is, you should always talk to your nutritionist. They will help you know when to stop dieting!
Final Words
Looking to lose weight when you are obese or even just chubby is okay. However, never forget that you should not blindly pursue losing weight to the detriment of your health. Do it in moderation and try to avoid these common diet mistakes, so that you can become as beautiful as you want to be!
Author bio
Angela Thompson is an aspiring dietician and a part-time blogger. She bases many of her articles on her own experiences, as she struggled with her weight for many years. Now, she hopes that her advice will help others with their weight loss plans.
